Washington bridge plunge teenager 'asked for a push'

Video caught the moment that Jordan Holgerson was pushed off the bridge

A teenager who shoved her friend off a 60ft tall (18m) bridge causing serious injuries said in a televised interview that her friend had asked for the push.

"She wanted to jump and she was scared, and she had asked me to give her a push," said Taylor Smith, 18, on ABC.

Jordan Holgerson, 16, was left with six broken ribs, punctured lungs, and other internal injuries after the fall in a Washington state regional park.

Jordan says that her friend deserves to serve time in jail for the shove.

The Clark County prosecutor's office has confirmed it is considering criminal charges for Ms Smith. It is expected to announce a decision on Friday.

Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith admitted on TV causing "not only bodily harm but emotional trauma" to Jordan

The incident occurred earlier this month in the Moulton Falls Regional Park, about 40 miles (64km) north of Portland, Oregon.

Video shows Ms Smith counting down from three, before she is shoved from behind.

The teenager flails her limbs as she plunges into the East Fork Lewis River.

"I thought she would be fine," Ms Smith said in an interview on Friday with ABC's Good Morning America breakfast show.

"She wanted to jump, she just was scared she wouldn't be able to."

"I didn't think about the consequences," she added.

Jordan said on Thursday that Ms Smith deserves a prison sentence because she could have killed her.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Reed Andrews

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

"Well at first I didn't really want Taylor to get in trouble, but now that I've thought about it more, I'm kind of wanting her to sit in jail and think about at least what she did," Jordan told NBC News from her home.

"I kind of got mad because the rest of my summer's gone and I'm probably going to be recovering for the rest of the school year," she said, adding that she is experiencing "a lot of pain".

Ms Smith said the news that her "close" friend wanted to see her behind bars was "a little shocking, but it's understandable".

"She's probably going through a lot of confusion," she said, adding that Jordan had forgiven her at first.

"At the beginning she was like, 'you're fine, I know you didn't mean to hurt me', and now she just doesn't answer," she said about their communications after the incident.

"It's scary" to be facing charges, she said.

"I accept whatever the prosecutor thinks is best for me considering I caused not only bodily harm but emotional trauma as well.

"But i just hope for the best, and I'll accept whatever the prosecutor, I guess, gives me."

More on this story